Okay.  So we’re still in the thick of book promotion here.  As such, I’ll be taking a trip to my home state on Saturday.  Yup!  It’s a Michigan appearance at Book Beat, the bookstore beloved of my deceased co-writer Peter Sieruta.  The Oakland Press did a nice little write up of what’s to come and barring floodwaters (a real concern) I shall be there with Jules Skyping in.  Here’s Book Beat’s info on the matter. Enough me stuff.  Let’s look at some other books for adults about children’s literature.  Now here is a book I can guarantee you have not heard of, but should.  Called Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books (out on September 16th), this is the title I’ve been waiting for for years.  A show of hands – how many of you are a bit intimidated when called upon to critique the art in a picture book?  Mmmhmm.  Yep, me too.  It’s not like we all got fine arts degrees or anything.  So what qualifies us to say that one piece of art is any better than any other?  Authors Gail Nordstrom and Heidi Hammond (a.k.a. my profs in grad school) have written a book that not only explains the process by which the Caldecott Awards are chosen, but that also looks at past award and honor winners and explains why their art is so extraordinary.  This book is INVALUABLE and should be considered must-reading for any Caldecott committee hopefuls, folks participating in Mock Caldecotts, or just about anyone interested in picture book awards.  That’s my plug and I’m standing by it. Mallory Ortberg is a genius.  I don’t use the phrase lightly.  If you haven’t been reading her Children’s Stories Made Horrific on The Toast, you are missing out.  Unless you don’t like horror.  True horror.  I’m still haunted by her version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar and I may craft new nightmares out of her Bradbury-worthy version of The Little Prince.  And the Madeleine . . . oh dear god, the Madeleine!!!  I have no plans to sleep for the next decade or so. I think by this point we’re all aware of the brouhaha surrounding the abominable new UK edition of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for adults, yes?  No?  Well, if you missed it, the BBC summarized the situation here and the cover itself is here:

To my mind the real problem isn’t the Lolita-esque little girl, necessarily (though I’m no fan).  I rather dislike it immensely when publishers feel a need to stick a cover on a book that doesn’t reflect diddly squat about the content inside.  Which is to say, this girl is not in the book.  She’s not Veruca Salt, since Veruca came to the factory with her dad and not her mom.  And she’s certainly not one of the other girls, which means the publisher was just going for some kind of campy look.  So ladies and gentlemen if you click on no other link in this round-up today, it is well worth your time and attention to go to the 100 Scope Notes piece Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Was Just the Beginning.  Without question this is undoubtedly the most amazing bit of satire I’ve seen on a children’s literary blog since the days of Peter Sieruta.

Let this be a lesson to you, my children.  If you write something for your library system and 50 years pass, your words may well be bandied about and mocked on whatever future version of the internet exists.  Case in point, my library’s staff reviews of children’s books.  They’ve been going online.  I’m just grateful they’ve been archived at all. Speaking of NYPL, hey hey!  It’s my former boss Louise Lareau in the article Man Returns Library Magazines 50 Years Late. Daily Image:

Jules Danielson commissioned a cake for our book launch at Parnassus Books.  I am sad I wasn’t able to make the party, and sadder still that I couldn’t eat this guy.

He looks like he knows what’s coming.